Subject: DRAFT: Benghazi Hearing Opening Statement
From: Dan Schwerin <[email-masked]>
To: Jake Sullivan <[email-masked]>, Phil Schiliro <[email-masked]>, Cheryl Mills <[email-masked]>, John Podesta <[email-masked]>, Philippe Reines <[email-masked]>, Jennifer Palmieri <[email-masked]>, Heather Samuelson <[email-masked]>, Brian Fallon <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:16:00 -0400

I want to share a first draft of HRC's opening statement for 10/22 with
this small group and see if you think it's in the right direction.  The
structure and substance reflect conversations I've already had with many of
you, but flagging a few notes:

-- Length.  This is about 10 minutes, which is a bit shorter than we did in
Jan 2013 but still fairly long. I'm not sure there's any reason to obsess
over this, but keep it in mind. And, as Phil reminded me, we have the
option for a longer statement for the record.

-- Tone.  I aimed for high minded but it's possible this will come off as
fairly pugilistic. Maybe that's just fine, but see what you think.

-- No Emails. You'll see there's nothing in here about emails.  I think
that's the right call, but if we decide that its impossible to ignore the
elephant in the room, she could say this near the top: "I am also ready to
answer questions about my email use as Secretary of State.  As I have said
many times, I should have used two separate accounts, one for work and one
for personal matters.  It was a mistake to use just one.  It is up to you
and ultimately to the American people to decide if it’s wise and
appropriate for a committee charged with investigating and learning from a
national tragedy to spend its time focused on something like that."